ricski39

All OBrien rear bindings will be compatible with your HO. All rear Radar/HO/OBrien have the same rear pattern. You want to stay away from Connelly and D3 rear bindings unless you want to drill some new holes.

I've got some inside information that it's a new design with a new engine; they told me they didn't know much about the design other than the new engine. I realize that is extremely vague, but it doesn't sound like it's a wakeboard boat. I can't imagine a change to the 200 hull. The 196 and 197 stayed unchanged way longer than this current design.

I'm glad to hear that you're okay. Having said that...thank you, my lunch break just got a whole lot cooler!

While all of the ski companies have standardized their hole pattern for the front bindings, the same isn't true for the hole pattern for the rear binding. Basically, since you have a Radar ski, as far as the rear binding is concerned you want to look at Radar, HO or Obrien. A rear binding from Connelly or D3 will not fit on your Radar ski. As a side note, a rear plate from Radar is compatible with both the D3/Connelly and the HO/Radar/Obrien hole pattern.

I feel like this may have already been stated somewhere in this thread, but, if your plate has only one set of holes for the release and one set of holes for the toe loop, then you have a plate that is set up for a 12 shell. I'm going to assume that the plate in question is a carbon plate? Reflex (for reasons I'll never understand) only makes one plate for the 12 shell and it's carbon. It sounds to me like whoever sent you this set up mistakenly grabbed the wrong plate. When you change it out for the correct plate I strongly recommend that you get their high density composite plate. It's as light as the carbon plate, cheaper than the carbon plate and more durable than the carbon plate. As a side note, if there is anyone out there that knows of someone that can find, make or steal me an aluminum plate that will fit my 12 shell, please let me know.

I’m intrigued, how did your bindings end up on the bottom of the lake? I hope your feet didn’t fall off.

You can always make a longer ski, ski shorter with a fin adjustment. You're not going to be able to make a shorter ski ski longer. If you're right in between two sizes, I say go with the longer of the two.

I'm running an Intuition liner in my Reflex shell. I have a narrow foot and the thicker liner helps to fill out the shell a little better.

H20Proshop can definitely get you straightened out.

In my opinion once the rope and handle fall inside the buoy line, things start to get real.

If you take $0.89 to Michaels craft store and venture over to the paper section, they have foam pads that are adhesive on one side. you can just stick that to the bottom of your binding plate. That's what I did on the bottom of my Reflex plate as they included no form of padding with my purchase.

If you are not going to be the only person using the ski then you need to stay away from the Strada bindings. Like @ToddL mentioned above, those bindings come in sizes like 8, 9, 10, etc. The Vector boots come in size Small, Standard and Large. The Standard is going to fit a shoe size range from 7-11. That's going to be the best fit if your sisters are going to also use the ski. You also need to pay very close attention to the plate that the Vector is mounted on. There are two options from Radar; and aluminum plate and what they call the Feather Frame. The rear Feather Frame from Radar will only fit a 2011 or newer Radar ski. I understand that you want to buy a Senate or a Strada, but if you get either of those in a 2010 model and you buy a rear Feather Frame Vector boot, none of the hole will line up. Having said all that, a pair of Vectors on a Senate is a great setup and very well rounded if more than one skier will be using it.

I transitioned from double Strada bindings to the Reflex front and R-style in the rear. I had a similar concern in that I haven't skied with an RTP on my slalom for about 20 years. The biggest transition that I had to overcome was moving from "soft" bindings to a hard shell. Personally I didn't notice a huge change in going to the R-style. I'm using the thicker Intuition liners in both the front and back. I also went on Amazon and bought two small Velcro straps that I put around my rear liner. If I fasten them tightly it feels snug around my ankle and I don't really notice that I'm not in a traditional rear boot. More importantly it keeps the liner from dragging and filling up with water in the turn. What I like most about it is that there is no way my back foot will stay not come out in a crash where my front shell releases. In summary, the transition to the R-style from a rear boot wasn't as big a deal as I originally thought.

Hello all! My name is Ricky Walters, I'm 33 and have been skiing in the slalom course since I was 12, all thanks to Linda Giddens who taught me to navigate all six buoys, trick and jump. I was captain of the Georgia Southern University (The real GSU) ski team from 2005-2009 with a little break for an internship peppered in. After I graduated I went to "work" a summer at Trophy Lakes in Charleston, SC. That three month gig turned into a three year stint working for both Trophy Lakes and for Seth Stisher as a certified ski bum. In 2012 I decided to cut my hair and put my degree to use. I currently work as an engineer in Augusta, GA and try my best to get a couple sets in after work with my girlfriend/ski partner/driver. If you ever find yourself in the Augusta area, get a hold of me and bring your ski. We love trading sets with new skiers!

@MattP I haven't paid that guy a visit yet. I just noticed the issue when I took the boat out last Sunday the 12th. It rained here all last weekend so I never got a chance to get out and take another look under then hull. I'm going to take a trick set after work today and will take another look at my hull armed with the notes I've taken from this thread.

@MJE I see what you're saying, but I think that's just the angle that the rudder was turned when I took the picture.

@DW All good things to check. That repair to the bottom of the hull was the only thing that changed from last season.

If all else fails you can always get "new" jumpers and turn those into shot-skis.

@mrpreuss Any specs you could give me on that recess would be very much appreciated. I'm convinced that's my issue.

@A_B Yes the steering will pull right when I'm at slalom speed. It looks like the issue may be that when the guy repaired the hull he got rid of that recessed area behind the rudder.

@mrpreuss Thanks for the pictures. Unless it's just the glare on the boat, it looks like there's a lip behind the rudder that isn't there on mine.

@OTF That's a good call. I just posted a new thread asking if anyone has, or knows someone with a 99' Response. Here's to hoping.

Does anyone own, or know someone who owns a 99' Malibu Response? I would like to see some pictures of the underside near the prop to compare to what I've posted in another thread. I won't hold my breath since it's a 16 year old boat.

@jhughes I had the HDS Box repaired at the begining of last season assuming that would stop the leak. When the leak persisted is when I noticed the cracks around the rudder.

Sorry, no before pictures. My flux capacitor has been acting up. And yes, @Jody_Seal my neck is hurting now also. But now that I'm looking at these pictures again I'm wondering if when the boat gets up to 34-36 mph the new fiberglass is causing the boat to lift, then slows down enough to sit back in the water, I steer to correct it, then it gets back up to whatever this critical speed is, and then it lifts out of the water again. Sorry if that's confusing, but it made sense in my head.